Brooklyn-based Ghost Beach, whose blend of old and new school synth pop has lead to their music being dubbed tropical grit pop. Whatever you call it, it’s hella danceable, and the duo’s remix EP of their breakout single “Miracle,” proves just how adaptable their sound is to clubland. Continue...

Since the release of last year’s excellent Flex Fantasy EP and the slew of sold out shows–including stints at NYC’s Bowery Ballroom and Music Hall of Williamsburg– that followed, AVAN LAVA have been in the studio plotting their next musical move. Continue...

Album reviews are the bread and butter of music criticism. However, often so much of a review is spent talking about the musician, or the circumstances of the recording process that the actual songs on the record don’t get the discussion they deserve. Triple Take examines a string of 3 songs on an album, how they fit together, and how they fit on the record as a whole. After the sold out farewell show at MSG, and the general canonization of LCD Soundsystem, it’s important to remember that James Murphy had to earn his place in the pantheon. While “Losing My Edge” now looks like the scene shattering big-bang that started it all, in 2002 it sounded like a fun, one-off novelty (one of the greatest one-off novelties ever written, but a novelty none the less). Continue...

Building on the buzz generated by a critically-acclaimed debut album and cross-country U.S. tour, Minnesota post-punk trio BNLK are putting the cap on a banner year with the release of “Opposites Attract,” the first single from their latest release Produit Collecte. Continue...

Call it a case of life imitating art. Or art predicting life–crystal balling if you will. Whatever you want to label it, rap duo Times Neue Roman were unwittingly on to something when they filmed a video for “Late Night Toronto” last fall. Continue...

Album reviews are the bread and butter of music criticism. However, often so much of a review is spent talking about the musician, or the circumstances of the recording process that the actual songs on the record don’t get the discussion they deserve. Triple Take examines a string of 3 songs on an album, how they fit together, and how they fit on the record as a whole. The year is 1997. It’s been four years since Green Day burst onto the scene with Dookie. American Idiot, the bands transformational album is still seven years down the road. In between these two albums were a myriad of albums that were successful but in hindsight, overlooked. The one that stands out is 1997′s Nimrod for its distinction as the last commercially viable punk album. Continue...

It’s not only basketball, hockey and football season. It’s movie season! The Academy Awards are just a few months away and with that, we give you the best and worst trailers for movies coming out this fall and early this winter. All Is Lost (October 18th): One or two actor movies must be a trend this year. With a very similar tone to Gravity, this performance by Robert Redford looks stunning. It’s just him. 106 minutes of Redford fighting to survive on a sinking boat. This one is probably worth seeing but only if the other options are grim. Captain Philips (October 11th): This is a movie that is already out in most areas. It happened to fall in between our last breakdown and this one. Having not seen it yet, I think it’s safe to say that Tom Hanks will be receiving a lot of Oscar buzz for this [...] Continue...

“Do you like rock ‘n’ roll music?” Win Butler snidely asks the listener at the beginning of “Normal Person.” “Cause I dunno if I do” he responds. Soon after that a yelping guitar line kicks in, the drums explode and Arcade Fire remind us of what they always were; a rock ‘n’ roll band. On Reflektor, they embrace the groove and turn in a double album of propulsive yet moody dance rock. Continue...

Fall, and soon winter, may be upon us, but that doesn’t mean we have to swap out sunny anthems for broody tunes, as “Colleen Harpe,” the new single from Scotland’s own Topless Gay Love Tekno Party, proves. Continue...